Beam scanning apparatus

Abstract: The improved beam scanning apparatus has an optical element (3) that is driven to rotate by means of a drive means so as to be capable of continuous angular displacement with respect to the beam from a light source (1). The optical element (3) deflects the incident beam so that it is focused to form image on the image plane (5). It is provided with an entrance face (S₁), a reflecting face (S₂) and an exit face (S₃) which have their shape specified in such a way as to achieve effective correction of aberration, provide higher resolution, and reduce the size and cost of the apparatus.

Description: This invention relates to a beam scanning apparatus for use with a laser beam printer and like devices. The beam scanning apparatus for use with laser beam printers and like devices are so adapted that an optical beam issuing from a light source such as a semiconductor laser and collimated by means of a collimator lens is deflected for scan by means of a fast driven rotating polygonal mirror and focused by an imaging lens to form a beam spot that illuminates an image plane to scan it for exposure. A problem with this type of beam scanning apparatus is that the imaging lens is so expensive that it accounts for most of the cost of the overall system. In addition, the imaging lens is usually as large as 100 mm in diameter, making the system inevitably bulky. As a further problem, the polygonal mirror is not only expensive but also bulky (i.e., its inscribed circle is usually about 20 mm in radius); this contributes to an inevitable increase in the cost and size of the whole system. With a view to solving these problems, the Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 5-121995 discloses a beam scanning apparatus of a type having an optical element that was driven to rotate by means of a drive means so as to be capable of continuous angular displacement with respect to the beam from a beam generator, said beam performing scanning by being focused on an image plane, which apparatus was characterized in that the optical element was provided with an entrance face, a reflecting face and an exit face, at least one of which had the ability to correct aberrations. In this apparatus, the beam deflecting optical element (which is hereunder referred to as a "rotating lens mirror") has its reflecting face serve as a deflector but, at the same time, the individual faces can also function as lenses, thus providing a certain degree of freedom in correcting aberrations. In other words, the single rotating lens mirror work as both a deflector and a lens, whereby the beam scanning apparatus corrects aberrations by a sufficient degree to assure satisfactory optical characteristics. Speaking of the rotating polygonal mirror which is also used with conventional laser beam printers, its individual faces usually involve errors in parallelism that develop in the process of its manufacture and, furthermore, a mounting error can occur when it is mounted on the rotating shaft. On account of these errors, the direction of travel of a reflected beam will change in a plane normal to deflecting faces, thereby causing unevenness in the scanning pitch. In addition, precession and other irregular motions that occur in the rotating shaft of the polygonal mirror can be a cause of similar unevenness in the scanning pitch. In order to increase the precision of not only the polygonal mirror but also the deflector as a whole to such levels that there is no problem with image, the manufacturing time becomes so prolonged as to make the price of the final product prohibitive. Various attempts have therefore been proposed for solving these problems by so-called "tilt correcting" optics. For example, document US-A- 3,750,189 and Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application (kokai) No. 56-36622 proposed a "conjugate" tilt correcting system of a type that used anamorphic scanning optics having different powers in a main scanning plane and a plane that was normal to the main scanning plane and which included the optical axis (the second plane is hereunder referred to as the "sub-scanning plane"). With this system, a light beam is focused on the reflecting faces of the polygonal mirror for illuminating the sub-scanning plane so that each of the reflecting face will be conjugate to the photoreceptor's plane. Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application (kokai) Nos. Sho 52-153456 and 58-134618 proposed an "attenuating" tilt correcting system, in which an elongated cylindrical lens was provided near the photoreceptor's plane so as to attenuate the variations that would occur in the direction of deflection for the sub-scanning plane due to tilting. In a system previously proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 5-121995, supra, only one deflecting face is used to eliminate the need for tilt correcting optics and the functions of two elements, i.e., a beam deflecting polygonal mirror and an aberration correcting lens, can be performed by the rotating lens mirror alone and, hence, there is the advantage of providing a compact and inexpensive optical scanner that comprises a smaller number of components. On the other hand, however, the use of the single deflecting face permits only one scanning per rotation of the lens mirror and, hence, there still remains room for further improvement in the scanning efficiency. Prior art document DE-A-4 130 977 discloses a scanning apparatus comprising a scanning optical element which has an entrance face, a reflecting face and an exit face. Furthermore, prior art document EP-A-576 014 which is an earlier European application according to Article 54(3) EPC discloses a scanning apparatus in which both faces of an optical scanning element can be planar, or a scanning apparatus including a plurality of optical scanning elements having a shape capable of correcting aberrations. In order to improve the system proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 5-121995, supra, in such a way that the scanning optics using a plurality of rotating lens mirrors is provided with an additional capability for tilt correction, thereby making an optical scanning apparatus that satisfies both requirements for smaller size, lower cost and better resolution at higher speed, a plurality of optical elements each having a reflecting face, as well as an entrance face and an exit face that have their shapes so specified as to be capable of correcting given aberrations are caused to rotate, whereby the scanning efficiency is improved and, at the same time, the factor by which the scanning pitch error that develops due to the tilting of the rotating lens mirror during scanning by beam deflection is corrected optically is adjusted to be 0.5 and less. It should be added that in order to produce an effectively focused beam image of good scanning linearity on an image plane by means of a beam scanning apparatus employing a plurality of rotating lens mirrors, it is preferred to use an imaging lens (f lens) in combination with the tilt correcting optics. It is an object of the present invention to provide a beam scanning apparatus by modifying the above-mentioned version by addition of a single imaging lens having a toric surface. To solve this object the present invention provides a beam scanning apparatus as specified in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the subclaims. The beam scanning apparatus comprises a light source, a collimator lens for shaping the beam from the light source, a cylindrical lens for forming a line image at a reflecting face of a deflector that is driven to rotate at fast speed, and an imaging lens by which the beam from the deflector is focused on an image plane, which apparatus is characterized in that the imaging lens by which the beam from the deflector is focused, as tilt corrected, on the image plane is composed of a single lens with a toric surface that has a biconvex shape with positive refractive power in a section that includes the optical axis and which is normal to the deflecting face. In a preferred embodiment, a rotating polygonal mirror or a rotating lens mirror may be used as the deflector in the beam scanning apparatus. In another preferred embodiment, the imaging lens may have an entrance face that is generated by rotating an arc of a circle or other geometric shapes around an axis that crosses the axis of rotation of the rotating polygonal mirror and the optical axis at right angles. It is also within the scope of the present invention to use a finite optical system in which the light beam incident on the deflector is converging in the main scanning direction. The single imaging lens which has a biconvex shape in a section taken in the sub-scanning direction has the advantage that compared to a meniscus lens, the radius of curvature necessary to produce a given power can be great enough to insure reduction in spherical aberration. The large radius of curvature offers another advantage in that the fluidity of molding resins is sufficiently enhanced to active a marked improvement in the efficiency of lens molding operations, whereby an imaging lens of high precision can be manufactured in an easy manner. In spite of this simplicity, the structural design under discussion contributes to the provision of a small and compact beam scanning apparatus. If the light beam incident on the deflector is made convergent in the main scanning direction, the optical power of the imaging lens can be made small enough to enable the design of lenses that are substantially uniform in thickness and which hence have very good moldability. The small optical power has the additional advantage of reducing the effects of temperature-dependent variations in refractive index. The conventional toric lens has a surface that is generated by rotating an arc of a circle about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotating polygonal mirror but this surface is unable to change the curvature of a plane taken in the sub-scanning direction. On the other hand, using a surface that is generated by rotating an arc of a circle or other geometric shape around an axis that crosses the axis of rotation of the rotating polygonal mirror and the optical axis at right angles, one can change the shape of a section taken in the main scanning direction and, hence, the curvature of a section in the sub-scanning direction depending on the scanning position and this eventually offers the advantage of increasing the degree of freedom in correcting aberrations to thereby improve the imaging performance in sub-scanning operations. A further advantage results if the toric lens is combined with the rotating lens mirror in that distortion (f characteristics) can be produced in such a way that the angle of deflection of the beam issuing from the rotating lens mirror will be smaller than the angle of its rotation; this eliminates the need for developing distortion by means of the imaging lens and, hence, the degree of freedom in lens design is sufficiently increased to improve the imaging performance in such aspects as curvature of the field. Further features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 1; Fig. 1(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis; Fig. 2 plots the aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens in the beam scanning apparatus of Fig.1; Fig. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 2; Fig. 3(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis; Fig. 4 plots the aberration curves that are obtained with the beam scanning apparatus of Fig. 3; Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 3; Fig. 5(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis; Fig. 6 plots the aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens in the beam scanning apparatus of Fig.5; Fig. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 4; Fig. 7(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis; and Fig. 8 plots the aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens in the beam scanning apparatus of Fig.7. Before describing several examples that can attain the aspect of the present invention, we will first explain the specifications of the optics in the beam scanning apparatuses constructed in accordance with those examples. Since each of the examples relates to a finite optical system, the specifications to be described of the optics refer to the beam scanner as a whole including a light source, a collimator lens, a cylindrical lens provided between the collimator lens and a rotating lens mirror or polygonal mirror, and an imaging lens. Stated more specifically: the surface of the light source is denoted by So; the entrance and exit faces of the collimator lens by S a and S b , respectively; the entrance and exit faces of the cylindrical lens by S c and S d , respectively; the refractive indices of the optical materials in the collimator lens, cylindrical lens and imaging lens by n 2 , n c and n e , respectively. The lens mirror is assumed to rotate by angle 2ω or 2 from the start to the end of one scan cycle. Various specifications of the optics are expressed by the following symbols: r i for the radius of curvature of an ith surface S i ; d i for the on-axis distance from the ith surface S i to the next surface; if a surface of interest is cylindrical and has power only in the main scanning direction, the radius of its curvature in the main scanning direction is denoted by r iy ; if said cylindrical surface has power only in the sub-scanning direction, the radius of its curvature in the sub-scanning direction is denoted by r ix ; if the surface of interest is toric, the radii of its curvature in the main and sub-scanning directions are denoted by r iy and r ix , respectively; if the shape of the surface through a section taken in the main scanning direction is other than an arc of a circle, the aspheric coefficients K iy , A iy , B iy , C iy and D iy are expressed by the following equation: z i = h 2 r iy {1+ 1-(1+ K iy ) h 2 / r iy 2 } + A iy h 4 + B iy h 6 + C iy h 8 + D iy h 10 where z i is the distance by which the point on the aspheric surface where the height from the optical axis is h departs from the plane tangent to the vertex of the aspheric surface; S 1 , S 2 and S 3 refer to the entrance face, the reflecting face and the exit face, respectively, of the rotating lens mirror or polygonal mirror; n 1 and n 2 each refer to the refractive index of the optical material from which a rotating lens mirror is made. Specific examples of the aspect of the present invention are next described below. Fig. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 1 and Fig. 1(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis. In the case shown, the optical pathlength as measured from the center of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 to the image plane is 220 mm. The beam issuing from the semiconductor laser 1 is shaped by the collimator lens 2 to become substantially parallel. The collimated beam then passes through the cylindrical lens 6 to become convergent so as to form a line image on the reflecting face S 2 of the rotating lens mirror unit 3 in the sub-scanning direction. The lens mirror unit 3 consists of cylindrical lenses that are made from optical glass having consistent optical characteristics. After entering the lens mirror unit 3 through the entrance face S 1 , the beam is reflected by the reflecting face S 2 of the lens mirror unit and emerges therefrom through the exit face S 3 . The entrance face S 1 and the exit face S 3 are set in such a way that the beam targeting the center of scanning will pass through those faces in a normal direction; on the other hand, the reflecting face S 2 is set in such a way that the beam targeting the center of scanning will fall on the reflecting face S 2 at an angle of 45°. The entrance face S 1 is a cylindrical surface that has power only in the main scanning direction (i.e., the direction in which the beam scans the image plane) and which is concave in a section taken in the main scanning direction; the reflecting face S 2 and the exit face S 3 are each a flat plane. The axis of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 is included in the reflecting face S 2 and passes through the point of reflection of the beam targeting the center of scanning. The beam is deflected in response to the rotation of the lens mirror unit 3, and the deflected beam passes through the imaging lens 4 to form a beam spot on the image plane. The imaging lens 4 is a single plastic lens element having a high degree of freedom in surface design. A section of this lens as taken in the sub-scanning direction is shown in Fig. 1(b); obviously, the imaging lens 4 is a toric lens that is biconvex in cross-sectional shape. The biconvex cross-sectional shape assures that the toric lens has better optical characteristics with uniform thickness and good moldability. Stated more specifically, the radii of curvature of the lens surfaces can be made large enough to reduce spherical aberrations. Shown below are the specifications of the optics in the system of Example 1. The system comprises tilt correcting optics which, when taken in the main scanning direction, is finite system in which convergent light is launched into the rotating lens mirror unit 3 and which, when taken in the sub-scanning direction, is of a conjugative type in which a line image is formed on the reflecting face S 2 of the rotating lens mirror unit 3. Hence, the following datasheet lists the specifications of the beam scanner taken as a whole including the parameters of the collimator lens. 2ω = 35.1° Surface Radius of curvature Distance between surfaces Refractive index S 0 d 0 = 10.182 S a r a = ∞ d a = 2.000 n a = 1.523613 S b r b = -5.236 d b = 11.883 S c r cx = 27.825 d c = 3.000 n c = 1.523613 S d r d = ∞ d d = 30.617 S 1 r 1y = -25.000 d 1 = 10.000 n 1 = 1.51 S 2 r 2 = ∞ d 2 = 10.000 n 2 = 1.51 S 3 r 3y = ∞ d 3 = 25.000 S e r ey = -33.367 r ex = 249.086 (Aspheric coefficients) K ey = 0.00000 A ey = 3.320321×10 -6 B ey = 3.023233×10 -9 C ey = 1.588745×10 -12 D ey = 1.790809×10 -16 d e = 5.000 n e = 1.52 S f r fy = -30.427 r fx = -15.998 d f = 180.000 The aberration curves obtained with the imaging lens 4 are plotted by graphs in Fig. 2. Curvature of the field that develops in the main scanning direction is expressed by a dashed line and one that develops in the sub-scanning direction is expressed by a solid line. As for scanning linearity, it is usual in the case of an f lens to express the departure of the actual image height from the ideal value y = f in percentages. However, in the present invention where both the entrance face S 1 and the exit face S 3 of the lens mirror unit are adapted to rotate, the ideal image height y is not equal to f. Hence, an equivalent method of presentation is substituted, according to which the departure from the ideal image height Y = ζ is expressed in percentages with ζ representing the change in image height with the angle of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 for paraxial rays. Half view angle ω is the angle through which the lens mirror unit 3 rotates as the imaging spot scans from the center to either edge of scanning. The beam's design wavelength was set at 780 nm. As is clear from Fig. 2 the beam scanner of Example 1 is a high-precision apparatus that is capable of effective aberration correction in terms of both curvature of the field and scanning linearity and which yet is small in size and compact. Fig. 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 2, and Fig. 3 (b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis. The optical pathlength is 205 mm as measured from the center of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 to the image plane. In the case shown, the imaging lens 4 is positioned closer to the image plane and this not only requires less exacting precision in surfaces and geometry for the imaging lens 4 but also helps reduce its power in the sub-scanning direction. Hence, one can suppress the variations in curvature of the field to small values even if there are fluctuations in the refractive index due to temperature changes. By referring to Figs. 3 (a) and (b), the beam issuing from the semiconductor laser 1 is shaped by the collimator lens 2 to become substantially parallel. The collimated beam then passes through the cylindrical lens 6 to become convergent so as to form a line image on the reflecting face S 2 of the rotating lens mirror unit 3 in the sub-scanning direction. As in Example 1, the lens mirror unit 3 consists of cylindrical lenses that are made from optical glass having consistent optical characteristics. After entering the lens mirror unit 3 through the entrance face S 1 , the beam is reflected by the reflecting face S 2 of the lens mirror unit and emerges therefrom through the exit face S 3 . The entrance face S 1 and the exit face S 3 are set in such a way that the beam targeting the center of scanning will pass through those faces in a normal direction; on the other hand, the reflecting face S 2 is set in such a way that the beam targeting the center of scanning will fall on the reflecting face S 2 at an angle of 45°. The entrance face S 1 is a cylindrical surface that has power only in the main scanning direction (i.e., the direction in which the beam scans the image plane) and which is concave in a section taken in the main scanning direction; the reflecting face S 2 and the exit face S 3 are each a flat plane. The axis of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 is included in the reflecting face S 2 and passes through the point of reflection of the beam targeting the center of scanning. The beam is deflected in response to the rotation of the lens mirror unit 3, and the deflected beam passes through the imaging lens 4 to form a beam spot on the image plane. The imaging lens 4 is a single plastic lens element having a high degree of freedom in surface design. A section of this lens as taken in the sub-scanning direction is shown in Fig. 3 (b); obviously, the imaging lens 4 is a toric lens that is biconvex in cross-sectional shape. The biconvex cross-sectional shape assures that the toric lens has better optical characteristics with uniform thickness and good moldability. Stated more specifically, the radii of curvature of the lens surfaces can be made large enough to reduce spherical aberrations. Shown below are the specifications of the optics in the system of Example 2. The system comprises tilt correcting optics which, when taken in the main scanning direction, is a finite system in which convergent light is launched into the rotating lens mirror unit 3 and which, when taken in the sub-scanning direction, is of a conjugative type in which a line image is formed on the reflecting face S 2 of the rotating lens mirror unit 3. 2ω = 38.6° Surface Radius of curvature Distance between surfaces Refractive index S 0 d 0 = 9.971 S a r a = ∞ d a = 2.000 n a = 1.523613 S b r b = -5.236 d b = 11.883 S c r cx = 24.885 d c = 3.000 n c = 1.523613 S d r d = ∞ d d = 30.617 S 1 r 1y = -35.088 d 1 = 10.000 n 1 = 1.51 S 2 C 2 = ∞ d 2 = 10.000 n 2 = 1.51 S 3 r 3y = ∞ d 3 = 70.000 S e r ey = -63.200 r ex = 62.740 (Aspheric coefficients) K ey = 0.00000 A ey = 1.033837×10 -7 B ey = -3.029096×10 -11 C ey = 7.816046×10 -15 D ey = -3.336982×10 -18 d e = 10.000 n e = 1.52 S f r fy = -49.571 r fx = -39.041 d f = 115.000 The aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens 4 are plotted by graphs in Fig. 4. Curvature of the field that develops in the main scanning direction is expressed by a dashed line and one that develops in the sub-scanning direction is expressed by a solid line. As for scanning linearity, the departure from the ideal image height Y = ζ is expressed in percentages with representing the change in image height with the angle of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 for paraxial rays. Half view angle ω is the angle through which the lens mirror unit 3 rotates as the imaging spot scans from the center to either edge of scanning. The beam's design wavelength was set at 780 nm. As is clear from Fig. 4, the beam scanner of Example 2 15 quite satisfactory in terms of both curvature of the field and scanning linearity. Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 3, and Fig. 5(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis. The optical pathlength is 140 mm as measured from the center of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 to the image plane. In the case shown, the shorter optical pathlength enables further reduction in the size of the beam scanner and the distance from the imaging lens 4 to the image plane becomes even shorter than in the versions of Examples 1 and 2; hence, the precision required for the surfaces and geometry of the imaging lens 4 can be rendered even less exacting and much better optical characteristics are guaranteed. Shown below are the specifications of the optics in the system of Example 3. 2ω = 46.4° Surface Radius of curvature Distance between surfaces Refractive index S 0 d 0 = 10.424 S a r a = ∞ d a = 2.000 n a = 1.523613 S b r b = -5.236 d b = 11.883 S c r cx = 32.153 d c = 3.000 n c = 1.523613 S d r d = ∞ d d = 30.517 S 1 r 1y = -25.445 d 1 = 10.000 n 1 = 1.51 S 2 r 2 = ∞ d 2 = 10.000 n 2 = 1.51 S 3 r 3y = ∞ d 3 = 22.000 S e r ey = -22.981 r ex = 102.061 (Aspheric coefficients) K ey = 0.00000 A ey = 8.291283×10 -5 B ey = 2.527244×10 -8 C ey = -3.166518×10 -11 D ey = 1.069828×10 -13 d e = 10.000 n e = 1.52 S f r fy = -31.819 r fx = -14.100 d f = 103.000 The aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens 4 are plotted by graphs in Fig. 6. As in the preceding examples, curvature of the field that develops in the main scanning direction is expressed by a dashed line and one that develops in the sub-scanning direction is expressed by a solid line. As for scanning linearity, the departure from the ideal image height Y = ζ is expressed in percentages with ζ representing the change in image height with the angle of rotation of the lens mirror unit 3 for paraxial rays. Half view angle ω is the angle through which the lens mirror unit 3 rotates as the imaging spot scans from the center to either edge of scanning. The beam's design wavelength was at 780 nm. As is clear from Fig. 6, the beam scanner of Example 3 is quite satisfactory in terms of both curvature of the field and scanning linearity and it yet is small in size and compact. Example 4 of the present invention differs from the preceding Examples 1 to 3 in that a polygonal mirror rather than a rotating lens mirror is used as the deflecting optical element. Fig. 7 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the on-axis components of the system of Example 4 and Fig. 7(b) is a side view of the on-axis components as expanded along the optical axis. The beam issuing from the semiconductor laser 1 is shaped by the collimator lens 2 to become substantially parallel and the collimated beam then passes through the cylindrical lens 6 to be focused solely in the sub-scanning direction to form a line image on the reflecting face S 2 of the polygonal mirror. The reflecting face S 2 is adapted to be conjugative with the image plane. The beam deflected by the reflecting face S 2 passes through the imaging lens 4 to form a beam spot on the image plane. The imaging lens 4 has the following features: its entrance face S e is a non-arcuate toric surface that has a shape other than an arc of a circle in a section taken in the main scanning direction and which is generated by rotating said section about an axis that crosses the axis of rotation of the polygonal mirror and the optical axis at right angles, and the exit face S f is a toric surface that is shaped as an arc of a circle in a section taken in the sub-scanning direction and which is generated by rotating said section about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the polygonal mirror. Since the beam entering the imaging lens 4 is convergent, the collimator portion of the optics under consideration is a finite system. Shown below are the specifications of the optics in the system of Example 4. 2 = 40.4° Surface Radius of curvature Distance between surfaces Refractive index S 0 d 0 = 9.289 S a r a = ∞ d a = 2.000 n a = 1.523613 S b r b = -5.236 d b = 3.000 S c r cx = 38.878 d c = 3.000 n c = 1.523613 S d r d = ∞ d d = 50.000 S 2 r 2 = ∞ d 2 = 60.000 S e r ey = -17.644 r ex = 310.295 (Aspheric coefficients) K ey = -0.30231 A ey = 1.58211×10 -6 B ey = -1.14840×10 -8 C ey = 4.63083×10 -11 D ey = -6.44931×10 -14 d e = 5.000 n e = 1.519220 S f r fy = -27.044 r fx = -24.743 d f = 150.000 The aberration curves that are obtained with the imaging lens 4 in the system of Example 4 are plotted by graphs in Fig. 8. In the case under consideration, the scan angle 2 is expressed as a view angle and this is the common practice adopted with ordinary f lenses. Even if a polygonal mirror is used instead of a rotating lens mirror, the present invention provides a beam scanning apparatus that insures constant beam speed on the image plane. In the system of Example 4, the entrance face of the imaging lens is so shaped in a section taken in the sub-scanning direction that the radius of curvature is small near the optical axis and increases progressively towards the edge of the imaging lens and because of this geometry, the imaging lens has the advantage that the field curvature of the section taken in the sub-scanning direction can be brought closer to linearity. If the section of an ordinary toric lens as taken in the main scanning direction has a shape other than an arc of a circle, it becomes asymmetric with respect to the axis of rotation (an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the deflector) and, hence, it is practically impossible to manufacture the desired toric lens by conventional working methods. However, according to the aspect of the present invention, the axis of rotation for the generation of a toric surface is modified in such a way that the resulting shape remains symmetric with respect to a line (the axis of rotation) even if the shape of a section as taken in the main scanning direction is other than an arc of a circle. Hence, the desired toric lens can be manufactured by conventional working methods and the section taken in the main scanning direction can be rendered to assume a shape other than an arc of a circle without increasing the manufacturing cost or sacrificing the precision of the lens. As a result, the degree of freedom in the correction of aberrations can readily be increased markedly even if they occur in the main scanning direction, whereby one can improve the imaging performance and the scanning linearity in the main scanning direction. As described on the foregoing pages, the beam scanning apparatus according to the aspect of the present invention is basically of a type that uses a rotating lens mirror or polygonal mirror as the deflector to be driven for high-speed rotation; the apparatus is characterized in that a single imaging lens element (f lens) is used in conjugate type tilt correcting optics, with said imaging lens being a toric lens having a biconvex cross-sectional shape taken in the sub-scanning direction. This offers the advantage that compared to a meniscus lens, the radius of curvature necessary to produce a given power can be great enough to insure reduction in spherical aberration and, hence, better optical characteristics. The large radius of curvature offers another advantage in that the fluidity of molding resins is sufficiently enhanced to achieve an improvement in the efficiency of lens molding operations, whereby the desired imaging lens can be manufactured in an easy manner. In addition, the beam scanning apparatus that employs such imaging lens is reduced in the overall size and, in spite of its simple and compact configuration, the apparatus features high precision and is fully corrected for the problem of the tilting of deflecting faces.

Claims: A beam scanning apparatus comprising: a light source (1) ; a collimator lens (2) for shaping the beam from said light source (1); a deflector driven to rotate at hight speed; a cylindrical lens (6) for forming a line image on a reflecting face (S2) of said deflector; and an imaging lens (4) by which the beam from said deflector is focused to a spot on an image plane, said imaging lens (4) having a tilt correction function for correcting for the tilting of said reflector face (S2) and being composed of a single lens which has a toric surface and which has a biconvex shape with positive power in a section which is normal to the direction of the beam deflection. A beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotating polygonal mirror is used as said deflector. A beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein convergent light enter said reflecting face (S2). A beam scanning apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said imaging lens (4) has an entrance face that is generated by rotating an arc of a circle or other geometric shapes around an axis which is parallel to the direction of the beam deflection. A beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotating lens mirror (3; 31, 32, 33) is used as said deflector.

Inventors: INOUE NOZOMU, NOMURA YUJIRO, SUZUKI TAKASHI, TAKADA KYU, INOUE, NOZOMU, NOMURA, YUJIRO, SUZUKI, TAKASHI, TAKADA, KYU
Applicants: SEIKO EPSON CORP, SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G02B26
IPC codes: G02B27, G02B5, G02B26